Celtics land Garnett in multi-player deal

Tuesday

Jul 31, 2007 at 2:00 AM

In a trade that will shift the balance of power in the NBA's Eastern Conference next season, the Celtics acquired forward Kevin Garnett from the Timberwolves yesterday in exchange for forwards Al Jefferson, Ryan Gomes and Gerald Green, center and former 76er Theo Ratliff, and guard Sebastian Telfair, as well as two future first-round draft picks.

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In a trade that will shift the balance of power in the NBA's Eastern Conference next season, the Celtics acquired forward Kevin Garnett from the Timberwolves yesterday in exchange for forwards Al Jefferson, Ryan Gomes and Gerald Green, center and former 76er Theo Ratliff, and guard Sebastian Telfair, as well as two future first-round draft picks.

Garnett, 31, is expected to get a multiyear contract extension from Boston, making him one of the highest-compensated athletes in history. Garnett had completed a $126 million deal with Minnesota, and his current contract is worth $100 million. An extension of his current deal would likely be in the neighborhood of another $75 million to $100 million.

Garnett, along with newly acquired Ray Allen and Paul Pierce, would make the Celtics, a moribund franchise for most of the last 15 years, one of the teams to beat in the Eastern Conference.

The 6-foot-11 Garnett's career averages of 20.5 points, 11.4 rebounds and 4.5 assists will dovetail nicely with Allen's 21.5 career scoring average and Pierce's 23.6 scoring average, giving Boston a terrific inside-out presence and providing Garnett with the best pair of teammates he has played with in his 12-year career.

Chicago — Two hulking NBA stars were bound with duct tape and robbed of cash and jewelry by masked gunmen in separate holdups that have Chicago-area detectives wondering whether someone is targeting professional athletes.

Knicks forward Eddy Curry — 6-foot-11, 285 pounds — was tied up along with his wife and an employee at his mansion in suburban Burr Ridge on Saturday.

Miami Heat forward Antoine Walker, who is 6-foot-9, 245 pounds, was similarly robbed along with a relative at his $4 million townhouse in Chicago's exclusive River North section on July 10.

No one was injured in either case.

"Our guys are talking to Chicago to determine if it's just a copycat or a coincidence or if there is a relationship there," Burr Ridge police Cpl. Tim Vaclav said.

Police said the gunmen — three in the Curry holdup, two in Walker's case — probably knew who their victims were.

Curry used to play for the Bulls. Walker was born in Chicago and starred at Mount Carmel High School on the city's South side.